Category Archives: Volunteering

Do you need another excuse to foster a homeless pet? Love the idea of fostering but fear the potential costs? How about a tax deduction? You read that correctly. Some of the expenses of fostering a pet for an adoption organization can be deducted as services rendered to a qualified …

Recently, I went to a class at an animal shelter and I wound up coming home with 2 foster cats. While the seniors have always struck me more than any other age, these two were a special case. Their names are Pye and Kimby, and they have lived together for …

If you or someone you know is interested in enhancing the lives of shelter animals without cleaning cages or walking the strong and often energetic dogs, there are plenty of additional opportunities to volunteer. Even better, you might be able to read that book you’ve been lacking time to dig …

If you read the Petfinder blog, there is a good chance you are already an animal lover. Have you ever stepped back and wondered how you can do more to help? Of course volunteering for your local shelter is always a good way to help homeless pets (and it doesn’t …

When I first walked into the Irvine Animal Care Center in Irvine, CA, I was blown away by the beauty of the shelter. First of all, it was huge. It’s hard to get a sense of scope while just talking on the phone, but the rolling hills and wonderful dog …

After a tornado struck Joplin, MO, where we live, we donated a portable kennel our dog had outgrown to our local shelter, which was taking care of many displaced pets. It started us thinking about cleaning out closets and basements — spring cleaning, in fact — to donate other items …

Last week we asked our Facebook community to vote on the topic of our next live Q&A — and you wanted to learn more about helping pets during the holidays. So on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 3-4 p.m. ET, Petfinder shelter outreach director Sara Kent will be answering your questions …

All this week we’ve been talking about the many great less-adoptable pets in shelters and rescue groups. But the truth is, any pet is less-adoptable if potential adopters can’t see his or her wonderful qualities. Meet “purr-y” senior Snitters in our Less-Adoptable-Pet photo gallery. And the easiest way to show …

If you’ve got a skill — or even just an idea — you can use it to help homeless pets. Whether you hold a bake sale fundraiser or create a Facebook page for a shelter or rescue group, you can make a difference! But the key to your success is …

A new ruling could save volunteers some hard-earned cash. A California woman who fosters cats for a rescue group went to tax court when the IRS wouldn’t let her deduct the expenses she’d racked up caring for the cats — and the judge ruled in her favor. (Read the Wall …